Long before Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon, eBay and the onslaught of social media and on-line shopping became the norm, Alan Rosen had been driving from New York City to the QVC studios in West Chester, Pa., to promote Junior’s Restaurant to millions of people across America.
Back in 1995, the only way to get the classic New York-style cheesecakes nationally was through the shopping network or mail order. Today, that 21-year partnership is stronger than ever. On an annual basis, Junior’s sells between 150,000 and 250,000 cheesecakes and other desserts packed in dry ice and shipped via UPS.
“It’s been a fantastic relationship — great for our brand, great for our business and great to go direct to consumers with some varieties of cakes that we thought wouldn’t fly in retail,” Mr. Rosen, Junior’s owner, told Baking & Snack magazine in its November issue.
Today, as Junior’s begins to expand geographically, QVC also has created a base of fans even among potential retail, in-store bakery and food service customers. During the past 16 months since moving into its 103,000-square-foot wholesale bakery in Burlington, N.J., the company hasn’t had to do a hard sell because of the brand’s broad awareness. In fact, Rich McKenzie, national sales manager and longtime veteran of the retail channel, joined Junior’s in 2015 because of the brand’s already-established recognition across the country.
“I wanted the opportunity to help build a brand, not from the ground up but one that was known in the retail field, and make it even more well-known,” he said. “That’s what brought me to Junior’s in the first place.”
With QVC and the latest in social media outlets, Junior’s is taking networking to the next level.
